It is so easy to be affected by our outside world, whether it’s the craziness of having to do last-minute shopping for the holidays, concern around finances, dreading the “Pink Elephant in the living room,” type of family events. Even all the joyful aspects of the holidays, connecting with people you care about, socializing etc. can easily leave you depleted and stressed out.

Being a wordsmith in my own Lois form of wisdom, and hopefully humor, I offer to you a few insights that I have found helpful when dealing with what can feel like a very stressful time of year.

1) Break down the word Holidays to Holy-Days– What in your life feels holy and sacred? Make sure to cultivate that daily, especially during the holidays. For me, I find clarity exceedingly holy, so I find it gratifying to take a few days and do some major refinement in my office and home. What is it for you? Seeing people who elevate both my mood and my heart? Taking in the beauty of this time of year, whether it’s window gazing of some of the most amazing displays, or simply being awestruck by a snowflake or two?

2) Reflect and Refine– I have a client who literally every year goes through a very rigorous process of reviewing the former year and re-creating her next year, and boy, does the richness of her life reflect that (She’s a fan of “Best Year Yet”).

3) The faster the outer world, the slower the inner world needs to become- If your life is feeling harried and rushed, take time to slow down your inner world, by meditating, breathing, doing a few yoga stretches. For me, I pause throughout the day and ask myself, “In this moment are my thoughts taking me closer or further away from how I want to live my life, and who I want to be?” I work on observing versus ostracizing myself when I get my answer (it’s a process for sure).

4) Gratitude brings Greatness- I am not talking about being a Pollyanna or in denial of what needs to be changed. I’m talking about the fact, that studies have proven that simply documenting three things you are grateful for on a daily basis, actually increases endorphins and dopamine, the body’s “Happy Drugs.” When you connect with all the amazing things in your life you have to be grateful, you not only feel more optimistic about your life, but you actually, on a quantum physics level, draw more positive experiences to you.

May you be blessed, know that you are blessed, and may this holiday, you get to answer your own “Tis the season to be….” On your own terms, no matter what circumstances may come your way!

It’s just too easy to focus on this far-off dream of “I want my life to be more adventurous, less frenzied, more fulfilling, (fill in the blank),” and seeing one’s life as this amorphous far off in the future organism of chance and serendipity. Instead what our life is full of is a culmination of the moments of our days, weeks, months and really most importantly, the present moment in time.

Here’s a case in point. After a full morning of navigating a learning curve on social mediathat feels as tricky as the Indie 500, and adding another 5 more items to lop on my Lazy Susan revolving things to do list, I found myself exhausted, fried and needing a nap. At that moment, if someone asked me about my life I would probably respond, “overwhelming but thankfully forward moving.” I stopped, noticed my exhaustion (more mental then anything else) and took 15 minutes to meditate, do some spiritual reading, and grab a quick snack before heading out to the gym because I was in “I gotta get out of here mode!” As I ate my snack and refueled, I thought back to the current moment and I realized that I’d much prefer my life to be defined by curiosity, creativity and sharing. Upon declaring that to myself (and the 1/4 melon in front of me) a renewed sense of creativity surged forth, and the idea for this blog from my list of Lois-isms (I’m up to 250 now) literally bubbled up to the surface. Twenty minutes later, I’m heading to the gym, but now with a sense of fulfillment, having expressed my creativity and thoughts hoping to make a difference for someone else, feeling far more connected to myself and my community and my truth.

So I ask you (as I ask myself) if you’re feeling restless or stuck with the direction your life is going, you can stop breathe and ponder, “What is the direction of this very moment I’m living?” and make a choice to shift in the direction of what you’d like your life to be full of.

Remember, “Shift Happens….but only if you Happen to know how to Shift.”

Many blessings,

Lois

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